Watchly Features

A YouTube Player with Zero Ads, Zero Exceptions

No pre-rolls, no mid-rolls, no sponsored overlays. No recommendations, no comments, no autoplay trails. Just the video you approved.

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✓ Designed for parent’s sanity and child’s safety✓ Zero ads✓ No algorithm✓ Nothing to install✓ Cancel anytime… but you won’t want to

Why parents rely on this

Even YouTube Kids still serves ads, and regular YouTube's ad inventory is not built for children. Watchly replaces YouTube's player with our own, every ad gets stripped before the video reaches your kid.

We also strip everything else that turns YouTube into a rabbit hole: the comments section, the recommended sidebar, autoplay-into-the-unknown, live streams. What's left is the video. Nothing more.

The player runs as a controlled modal overlay. Kids can't navigate out to YouTube, can't escape to another tab, can't find the live comments. When they close the video, they land back in their library, exactly where you put them.

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What's included

Zero Ads

No pre-rolls, mid-rolls, or sponsored overlays. Ever. This is the core promise, not a paid tier.

No Recommended Videos

Removes the suggested-videos grid. Kids can't click through to something you never approved.

No Comments Section

Strips YouTube comments entirely. Kids never see the comment pile-ons or bad-actor replies.

Autoplay Off by Default

Videos end cleanly. No auto-chain into the unknown, kids choose what comes next from their library.

No Live Streams

Blocks unpredictable live content. You can't vet a live stream in advance, so we don't allow them.

Modal-Based Player

Videos play in a controlled overlay, not a YouTube page. Kids can't escape to the open web.

PIN-to-Exit

Optionally require a PIN to close the player. Stops kids from browsing libraries mid-session.

Minimal Player Chrome

Hide video info, disable keyboard shortcuts, lock playback speed. Fewer surfaces to poke at.

No Surface Distractions

No channel links, no subscribe buttons, no profile pop-outs. The video is the only thing on screen.

See it in the app

Tap any screen to try the real thing.

Profiles

One Profile Per Kid, One Pause Button

Each child gets their own profile, with their own library and their own limits. From your phone you can see what any of them is watching right now, and pause it while it is playing.

  • ✓A separate profile for each child
  • ✓See what each child is watching right now
  • ✓Pause any child’s screen instantly
  • ✓A PIN keeps them in their own profile
See profiles and PINs
AI Safety Review

Every Video Rated Before They Watch

Even creators you trust post things you would not approve of. Subtle objectification, harassment, bullying: those are three of the 21 themes the Watchly AI checks every video for.

  • ✓Safe, Caution or Unsafe on every video
  • ✓21 named themes, checked one by one
  • ✓Read from what is actually said in the video
  • ✓You still decide what goes in the library
See all 21 themes

How it works

1

Kid taps a video

From their assigned library, the kid picks a video they want to watch.

2

Watchly player opens

Our modal player loads the video without ads, without comments, without a recommendations sidebar.

3

Video ends cleanly

When the video finishes, the player closes and the kid is back in their library. No autoplay trail.

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27%

of YouTube videos watched by kids 8 and under are made for older audiences.

Common Sense Media & Michigan Medicine, 2020

No algorithm

No feed, no recommendation rail, no autoplay. Inside Watchly there’s nowhere else to go — just the library you built.

Zero ads

No pre-roll, no mid-roll, no banners, no sponsored anything. The video you approved plays — and nothing else.

Designed for parent’s sanity and child’s safety

Part of that: we never sell or rent your data, or your children’s. It’s in our privacy policy in capital letters.

Questions parents ask about this

How does Watchly remove YouTube ads?
Watchly plays videos through its own player instead of the standard YouTube page. The ad inventory YouTube attaches to the page never loads for your kid, pre-roll, mid-roll, end-card, sponsored overlay, all of it. You don't need an extension or a YouTube Premium account.
Do I still need YouTube Premium if I use Watchly?
No. Watchly's ad-free player doesn't piggyback on Premium, it's ad-free for every Watchly user on every plan. If you already pay for Premium for your own account, that's a separate decision.
Can my kid still see comments or the recommended videos sidebar?
No. Comments are stripped entirely, and the recommended-videos sidebar is hidden. Your kid sees the video and nothing else, no comment pile-ons, no "next up" rabbit hole.
Can my kid escape the player to regular YouTube?
No. The player runs as a modal overlay inside Watchly. There's no link back to youtube.com, no channel page, no subscribe button. When the video ends or closes, the kid is back in their library.
What happens when a video ends, does another one autoplay?
Autoplay is off by default. The video ends, the player closes, your kid picks the next video from their library. No invisible chain into content you never vetted.

Problems this feature solves

Predatory ads before kids' videosHorror trailers, weight-loss apps, casino spots. Pre-roll auction doesn't know who's watching.Toy unboxings that are really adsThe whole video is the ad. Pre-roll and mid-roll suppressed, plus filter for in-video sponsorships.Mobile-game ads aimed at kidsCoins, gems, sparkles, nag-funnel. No ad inventory in the player.Gambling ads next to kids' contentDraftKings before Minecraft. Suppressed at the player level.Sponsored content kids can't spotEven when the ad is inside the video, the surrounding pre-roll/mid-roll inventory is gone.Cooking-dinner anxietyNo surprise ad between the pasta sauce and the next video. The player stays inside the content.Road trips and waiting roomsNo pre-roll surprises in the back seat. The session is bounded by the videos, not the ads.

Keep exploring

Curated Video LibrariesThe player only plays what you've added to the library.AI Content FilterExtra safety layer on top of the ad-free player.YouTube Parental ControlsThe limits and schedules the ad-free player enforces in real time.Ad-Free YouTube for KidsWhy YouTube ads are a problem for kids, and what ad-free really means.Browse Safety-Reviewed CreatorsSee real, video-by-video safety reviews for popular YouTube creators — age ratings, content warnings, and verdicts.

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No charge until your trial ends. Set up your first child profile in under five minutes.

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